From a note last October (Q in bold).....
To: +bananawind (2373 )
From: +Ruffian Friday, Oct 15 1999 11:18AM ET
Reply #2377 of 5918
10/15/99 - FCC Allows GPS-Enabled Wireless Handsets
Oct 15, 1999 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- Wireless handset and chip makers are hailing the recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to equip cell phones with software that will greatly enhance the ability of public safety officials to locate the source of emergency 911 calls.
The FCC order sanctions the use of GPS capabilities inside cell phone handsets, which is considered a big improvement over the existing system, where emergency calls are traced through the wireless network.
"The FCC order will enhance wireless consumer safety by allowing the emergency 911 caller to be located in terms of latitude and longitude by information from the handset," said Matthew Flanigan, president of the Telecommunications Industry Association, Arlington, Va.
The FCC will allow for a phased-in schedule of GPS-enabled handsets starting March 1, 2001. By then, some 50 percent of all new handsets must have emergency 911 location capabilities, with at least 95 percent of these products to be compliant by Oct. 1, 2002. As a trade-off, the FCC will require handset tracking devices to be more precise than the 125-meter margin now required of network
location services.
The FCC said GPS-based wireless handset technology has progressed far more rapidly than expected, and cited Qualcomm's intention to develop a GPS location system for next year's market. Indeed, San Diego, Calif.-based Qualcomm wasted no time in taking advantage of the ruling, disclosing at last week's Telecom 99 show in Geneva that it is offering GPS technology in its handset and chip set lines.
Called gpsOne, Qualcomm's GPS-based software capabilities will be added to its Mobile Station Modem family of CDMA-based chip sets by year's end, said Johan Lodenius, vice president of marketing and product management at Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.
Other companies, including Conexant Systems and SiRF Technology, have introduced stand-alone chips for cell phones and other GPS-based applications.
Originally developed for military use, GPS technology uses 24 orbital satellites to position and navigate aircraft, ships, missiles, and spacecraft. However, the technology is now finding its way into consumer applications such as phones, cards, and even wristwatches.
The GPS-based chip market is projected to grow from $148 million this year to $2.2 billion by 2004, according to Allied Business Intelligence, Oyster Bay, N.Y. |
